Motorola starts closing offices, prepares full exit from South Korea in 2013

Motorola Mobility confirmed to The Next Web on Monday it has started to close most of its operations in South Korea in an attempt to “consolidate our global R&D efforts to foster collaboration, and to focus more attention on markets where we are best positioned to compete effectively.” Motorola’s shuttering of its South Korean offices is part of Google’s (GOOG) plan to lay off 20% of its global workforce and will see about 10% of its existing workers relocated. The company joins HTC (2498), which closed its South Korean offices in July due to low demand for its smartphones as Apple (AAPL) and Samsung (005930) continue to dominate with their iPhone and Galaxy smartphone lineups. Motorola told TNW it will continue to provide technical support to customers in the area even after the restructuring.